Mine cage



N. A. M|CHAELSON.'

MINE CAGE, APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12'; I 9 2I.

Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

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N. A. MICHAELSON.

MINE CAGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I2. I92].

Patented Oct. 24,1922,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

iii rzasszzsv N. A. MICHAELSON.

MINE CAGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 12. I921.

Patented Oct. 24, 1922.

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hair a Ifl'lillLSOfhTv A. lVIIGHAELSOiN, OI UNIO'NTCVTN, PENNSYLVANIA.

MINE CAGE.

Application filed Ncvember 12, 1921. Serial No. 514,823.

To-aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NnLsoN A. MICHAEL- SON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Uniontown, in the county of Fayette and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in MineCages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates broadly to selfdumping mine cages in which, whenhoisted to the top of the mine shaft in which they are erected, the minecages are automatically caused to tilt or dump in order to dischargematerials loaded in mine. carsposit-ioned on the cage platforms into achute which conveys the'material to other suitable cars, and moreparticularly relates to an apron adapted to prevent spilling of thematerials from the cars on the cages into the mine shaft while saidcages are being tilted.

The principal object of this invention is to provide an apron of theclass set forth above that will be entirely automatic in operation.

Referring to the drawings, forminga part of this specification Figure 1is a top plan view of a mine cage and conveying chute having myinvention applied thereto.

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation on the line TIIT of Figure 1, showingthe apron in its retracted position.

Figure 3 is a similar view showing the apron in its projected oroperative position. In the drawings, the letter A designates theself-tilting mine cage asa whole, which may be of any well known.construction, and is shown composed of side members or posts 2, betweenwhich is supported a platform 35 having rails 1 thereon. and havingslots or recesses 5 therein for the Wheels (5 ofthe mine cars 7. Theends of the mine cars '7' are provided with hinged doors 8 adapted toswing outwardly to open position, to allow the discharge of the materialcarried in said cars when the cage A is tilted. The tilting mechanism ofthe mine cage is not shown, since it does not form part of thisinvention.

An inclined channel-shaped chute B is mounted adjacent the mine shaftand is supported on a girder 9 extending between posts or uprightsupports 9 by suitable brackets or angle braces 10. The chute B is soarranged with relation to the mine shaft, that when the cage A is tiltedit will receive the material discharged from the car 7 carried by saidcage.

The chute B comprises a bottom portion 11, side members 12, andstiffening angles 13 and 14 secured across the bottom and sidesrespectively.

The above cage and chute construction is well known in the art, andtherefore will not be described further in detail.

In order to prevent spilling of smaller particles of'material that, withlittle or no velocity, will dribble from the car as the cage is beingtilted, from falling down the mine shaft or between thechute B and cageA, I provide an apron C. The apron C comprises a flat plate 15 mountedwithin the chute B and having a longitudinal angle stiffening member 16secured on the under side along the rear edge thereof, andtransverseangle'members 17 secured on the upper face along each end thereof.

A pair of supporting brackets 18 are secured to the side members 12 ofthe chute adjacent their top edges, and links 19 are pivotally securedto said brackets and to the forward ends of said angle iron members 17so as to suspend the forward end of the apron plate above the bottom ofthe chute.

A pair of crank arms or levers 20 are pivotally secured to thesupporting brackets 18, and have their lower ends pivotally secured tothe rear ends of the angle-iron member 1? to suspend the rear end of theapron plate above the bottom of the chute, while their upper endsproject beyond the chute and into the path of travel of the cage A whentilting, forming an operating portion 21 which is adapted to engage thewear plates 22 on the as the cage tilts.

The operation of the invention is as follows- As the cage A is tilted todischarge the contents of the car '7, the cage will engage the operatingportion 21 of the crank levers 20, thus moving or rocking the apronplate 15 rearwardly until it projects beyond the chute B, as shown inFigure 3, forming an extension to receive the smaller particles ofmaterial that will dribble, with little or no velocity from the car 7 asthe cage is tilted, thereby preventing such particles falling down themine shaft between the cage A and chute B. Upon the reversal of the cageA,

after the car 7 has been emptied and is being lowered into the shaft,the cage will release the port-ions 21 of the crank levers 20 and allowthe apron plate 15 to normally move forwardly by gravity, out of thepath of the descending cage. However, it the plate does not moveforwardly by gravity, the cage platform will strike the curved portionof the crank levers adjacent their lower ends, and force said levers andthe plate 15 to move forwardly and out of the l. The combination wit-h atilting mine cage, and a chute adapted to receive materials irom carscarried by said cage, of an apron member pivotally suspended from therear end of said chute and adapted to be moved rearwardly by said cageas it isimoved into tilting position.

2. The combination with a til-ting mine cage, and an inclinedchannel-shaped chute adapted to receive materials discharged from minecars carried by said cage when said cage is tilted, of an apron memberpivotally suspended from the sides oi? said chute, and means adapted tobe operated by said cage as it is moved into tilting position to movesaid apron rearwardly, thereby forming an extension of said chuteadapted to prevent any of the material discharged from the mine carfalling between saidchute and said cage.

3;The combination with a tilting mine cage, and an inclinedchannel-shaped chute adapted to receive materials discharged from minecars carried by said cage when said cage is tilted, of an apron membermounted onthe rear end of said chute and adapted to be moved rearwardlyby said cage as it is moved into tilting position to form an extensionof said chute to prevent the material discharged from the mine car"falling be tween said chute and said cage, said apron comprising a flatplate member, angle-iron side members, links pivotally securedadjacentthe forward end of each of said angleiron side members and tothe sides of said chute, and crank arms pivotally secured adjacent therear end of said angle-iron side members and at a point intermediatetheir ends to the sides of said chute, said crank arms having one endprojecting beyond said i chute into the path of travel of said cage andadapted to be engaged thereby when tilting.

t. The combination with a tilting mine cage, and aninclinedchannel-shaped chute adapted to receive material discharged frommine cars carried by said cage when said cage is tilted, of an apronsuspended from suitable supports secured to the side walls oi? saidchute, said apron comprising a flat plate member, angle iron sidemembers secured .to said plate member, links pivo-tally secured to saidangle-iron side members adjacent their forward ends and to said supportson said chute, and crank arm operating levers pivotally securedadjacent-one end to said angle-iron side members and pivot-ally securedintermediate their ends to said supports on said chute, said crank armshaving a portion thereof projecting beyond saidchute and into the pathof travel otsaid cage, so

as to be engaged by said cage and operated to move said apron rearwardlywhen said cage is tilted.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

NELSON A. MICHAELSO}

